Those will fish just fine I bet. Dubbing combined that curved hook will look like a scud that Trout can't resist.

Getting the exact dubbing used in the Bethke pattern is a bit tricky. Haven't found anyone who actually sells it, as it's a blend of Squirrel belly and red Fox Squirrel fur. The belly fur has those longer spiky guard hairs, which is important I think. I mix mine with a bit of flashy Antron dubbing to add some sparkle to it. I also tend to favor longer Krystal Flash tails than most use. I also don't bother with a wire wrap over the dubbing. A dubbing loop with Shell Pink thread does a great job of locking the fibers in place. The messier looking ones always seem to catch more Trout.

Mixing the dubbing is as simple as putting the fur in a large sealable plastic bag with a few small holes poked through. Stick the nozzle of a can of compressed air in one of the holes and blast away. The compressed air does a great job of mixing up the fibers. Just be sure to keep your fingers tight over the seal on the bag - otherwise you can end up with a big mess.

-Bill

“You'll never look back on your life and wish you had spent more time in the office." -- Brian Trautman, Captain SV Delos

Joined: 4/16/2014(UTC)Posts: 467Location: Madison, Wisconsin during the week and Lincolnshire, Illinois on weekends.

Thanks: 113 timesWas thanked: 43 time(s) in 37 post(s)

I got myself a coffee grinder for $5 at the local Goodwill a couple years ago, the type with whirling blades that spin stuff around, and that works great, too.

I couldn't say why I DID use wire this time; I usually don't either. Trout chew 'em up or I lose them on rocks before they fall apart.

Actually, I got lazy with those flies I tied - that' hare's ear instead of squirrel - I had just shaved a hare's mask and had the resulting dubbing on top of the tying desk, and it was easier than reaching into the bin to get the squirrel. Hare's ear has those spikey guard hairs that you spoke about

I got myself a coffee grinder for $5 at the local Goodwill a couple years ago, the type with whirling blades that spin stuff around, and that works great, too.

I couldn't say why I DID use wire this time; I usually don't either. Trout chew 'em up or I lose them on rocks before they fall apart.

Actually, I got lazy with those flies I tied - that' hare's ear instead of squirrel - I had just shaved a hare's mask and had the resulting dubbing on top of the tying desk, and it was easier than reaching into the bin to get the squirrel. Hare's ear has those spikey guard hairs that you spoke about

I don't think the actual dubbing matters much. I use SLF spikey squirrel in natural fox squirrel and it works, but I've used Davy Woten's SLF Squirrel (which has some synthetic fibers in it) and that works too. Either way as soon as they get wet they look like something a cat horked up, and fish just eat 'em anyhow. It's an egg, and it's a scud. Fish eat eggs and scuds...

I don't bother with the wire either most of the time. Dubbing loop body, finger dub the collar, and call it good. It's a 3 minute fly.

"Our tradition is that of the first man who sneaked away to the creek when the tribe did not really need fish." - Roderick Haig-Brown

Had been working on my winter boxes, and refilling some of my nymph boxes, and kind of overdid it. Like, if I tie one more size 22 someone's going to get hurt kind of overdid it.

So... I switched gears and tied up some streamers. Some are fairly small for some of the smaller streams I fish, but I do fish a few streams that are marginal trout water with some bigger fish that are mainly fish eaters, so I tied up some bigger articulated patterns too.

Fun to tie something I don't need my cheaters for.

Bangtail T n' A. Never tied it or fished it. But I like the concept. Light, fluttery sinking line fly.

Galloup's Laser Legal. Did really well on a couple warm/sandy MN streams with these last year. Not a big pattern either (this one's on two #4s) so can throw it on a 4W.

Clark Pierce Flugenzombie. Another new pattern. Looks big but it'll slim down in the water quite a bit. Fun bug to tie. First time I'd tried complex twist bodies, and I kind of like it. Should for sure be more durable than palmering Schlapen over chenille or a dubbed body. One tooth and those things fall apart...

Bow River Bugger (top) and Wooly Sculpin (bottom). Basically the same fly - just one with a conehead, one without. Both are awesome. One of those oddball streamers that, for some reason, works really well on a dead drift too.

Mini Dungeon. Just a great little fly. Tied on 2 #4s, fishes well even on small water.

Zoo Cougars. My God I love these things. Only bad part about them is finding decent mallard flank feathers for the overwing. Went through an entire bag of lemon wood duck dyed flanks...didn't find a single usable feather. None. Nada. At least I can use them for other things. I should just tie a box full of these and call it quits...

Trio of Silk Kitties. Another fly I really like a lot...

Tommy Lynch's Drunk and Disorderly. Love fishing them, but man are they a pain in the rear to tie.

Headbanger Sculpin. Jiggin streamer with a Sculpin helmet head. Good one to crawl on the bottom when the water's dirty. The name isn't a tribute to 80s hair bands though. It's a description of what happens if you aren't careful when you cast the thing.

I tied up a few Silk Kitties myself and am looking forward to giving them a try. I know what you mean about the "head banger." I brained myself a couples seasons ago with a weighted streamer and can still feel the dent in the back of my head.

-Bill

“You'll never look back on your life and wish you had spent more time in the office." -- Brian Trautman, Captain SV Delos

I tied up a few Silk Kitties myself and am looking forward to giving them a try. I know what you mean about the "head banger." I brained myself a couples seasons ago with a weighted streamer and can still feel the dent in the back of my head.

-Bill

Thanks Bill. Honestly an open question as to whether I tie streamers because I like fishing them, or I fish them because I like tying them.

I like the Silk Kitties and other woolhead patterns like Butt Monkeys or Boogie Men. You get a similar profile to something like a Dungeon but since it's not unweighted deer hair you can fish it on a floating line.

When that wool head soaks up water it can be like casting a wet sock (I once heard it described as casting a baby muskrat ), but that can sometimes be a good thing - you can shoot one of these things 35 feet with barely any line in the air if you don't have much room for a backcast. They aren't always easy to roll cast.

"Our tradition is that of the first man who sneaked away to the creek when the tribe did not really need fish." - Roderick Haig-Brown

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